Aeroplane



Oct. 21, 1930.

E. H. LANIE AEROPLANE Filed April 7, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR lywardflk 12561:

ATTORNEY E. H. LANIER 'Oct. 21, 1930.

AEROPLANE 5 Sfieets-Sheet 2 Filed April 7, 1930 ATTORNEY E. H. LANIER Oct. 21, 1930.

AEROPLANE Filed April 7, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 I ENVENTOR IJwarcZJf. jfarz er ATTORNEY E. LANIER AEROPLANE Filed April '7, 1950 5 Shets-Sheet 4 I Oct. 21, 1930.

AEROPLANE Filed Afiril 7, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR [Jwardfifavzzek ATTORNEY l atented Oct.

r EEWABD" meaning fiRQ LA QI iL art of aerial, navigationhas-for ifi;p rimai1fy{ object to i-mpr'qve the aefop1-zcne; which sfi'mt'ee the s iibjecif matter of my Letters Pet? L ent Ne. 1,750,529; iseue-dMxfch-ll'; 19 30; 5 'Further, i is anbbject to providetm a'ere- I 'iene; of a desi n me construciien ,i vllich" is 7 pkme 61 iilueJkinel diseidsed ipni patentafbre-p eom'n-erpi-al 0r -pgssengerrtransp e type and parficularly toimprove the. li es; (listribi' g' tiofi of Weight and pmpeller thrfist,

chamber" in orclr' to create- "greatei lifting v fomze vertically and morebalancmg force lab efa 1ly', givmysbearmg ifllfr fiiingl a true stfeam line cle'sigin longitudinally. I

- A fart Tel" qb eet ie to provide a convex 01" be moire freel' their when a flat fie'oi 'for' the F'u' pher' it is an b'ect of the" inv niofiiq 7 provide the vacuum chamber w th a set of air ufito e ioee the to ofthe vacuum chamber when desired, means bei ngrrovided under (semi-fol E the pimtfof aqmtingthe bufier-i partitions at will lie ope iio-i'icilese iihe' ehair'ir ber. I

' other obj e'eis Will inpdff obvieiis mecl' in he pointed out hereineften:

' 'fiieii mid airangementof parts; alldfwh-ich will be firstfully described in the follewing detailed description, then be paft ici larly po-intecleut' in theappencled claims, referen ce are shite-Ely braeec'l t rmsirel ge ",f -""'th' the attainment of the 21f resaid obpc'ts rom e aml ends,- the invention still-further resides v 'vex'exi atifl ithe/Tear wali'l'e ef fihewe me then'evel deta ls of construction, eombina I Figure 8 is- Verticj seeti'enfef mq iificaeonoft "In hefclfziwlrlgsg in Which li aii'd' it hes' w front Ewell 21; js'rliiclf eenstitutes Ken I v This front wall 21 extends upwardly and forwardly from the floor of the cabin to the the lower wall of thenose of the machine;

tip 22 of the nose, andfrom' that tip, there is an upwardly and rearwardly extended (preferably curved) wall 23, the rear edge32 of The front wall '21 I which overlies the wall l4.

r the pabinisfpro vided with windo ws E24 and the wall 23 is likewise provided withiwindows 25.

j.-space left between the front wall 14' of the vacuum chamber and the tipQQ of the 'nose f so that the iloton the seat-33 may have vision throng the windows 725i as well as through-the windows 24 and; will thuslbe able to seeabovej ias wjell as in front andbelow.

The. cabin 19 ;is1i also provided with windows 27 in its'sides and a door 28 forthe usual when in :the cl sed ,positio purposes.

Air. buffers; 29ers mounted in the vacuum chamber an-dnthese-air buffers may be held fixed in position or, preferably,,they are 'hingedatBO ar provided with heel-s31 so that whenthe" bufiers are moved on the hinges: upwardly the heelS-l of one buifer will overlie the fre edge of the neXtbu-ifer: to'the rear and thus enable'the buffers toact as a closure fonthe top ofthe vacuumchamher when desired; The forelbuifer 29, when in closed posi tion', underlies the projection 32 of the wall I23, Wl 1ch projection acts also as a stop. The heel 3l ofQthe-rear buffer,

I n, engages the upg peredge Oftll Wall1833331291); 4 ,Suitab1esto1ps 33bn the fioor-of'thevacuum chamber are provided to limit the downwardmovme'nt of the buffers to their max-j imum workingsposition where they function 3 5311; buffers orideflectors,

- In'order to perate the zur buffers at the willof the pilot I may provide a winch '35 on which is woii'ndan operatingcable 36that passeso'yer suitably located idler pulleys 3 f and is connect-edto the several buffer lugs 2Q wi1em'by' when; the winch 35 isturned in one d rection-i the buffers 29. may be moved to the closediposition (see dotted lines in c Figure 75) and when movedin the other position fthey are brought to the cated in'full lines in Figure5. I y A It will bezinoted. that the tail assembly is closedat the ;top' as well as at the sides, bob

position inditom andjrear end, the topclosure' being indi.

' a The meage engine lo;

cated on the extension 2 of the keel while the propeller 4=1l -is preferably mounted on a shaft projecting from the no se tip 22;and is driven from the fi'otor lO by asprocket: and chain a In [the eased are raresane; a

lustratedLin- Figure 8 the: front --pore mof the=keel A is substantially parallel liq .the long runs] 8%: while {the rearlportion 44 of the Asfillustrated 7 best in- Figure 5 of the-drawingsthere is keel extendsfrom the rear of tht cabin upwardlyand rearwardly;

Furthermore in this embodiment-the'vacuum chamber has its nose l fi forwardly extended to overlie the motor 46 which is mounted to approximate alignment with the horizontal plane containstance being idirectlymounted on the motor shaft. 1" f The wings- 10 of the aeroplane may be, as before intimated, ofjthe same construction as my patent aforesaid, and the channel vanes-{l8 are alsoprovid'e-d to leave the air 1 channels" between those vanes and the sides of the fuselageand Vacuumchamber. 7

that the keelfl'is widest from the front encl- Itwill-be noted byreference to Figure? of the cabin and from. the reamed tapers 7 toward the tip of the tail; Eurthermoreithe keel where it extends inlfrontiof the cabin is narrowed.

The cabin-and" vacuum chamber side :ivalls i are relatively parallel longitudinally and the air channel vanes are relatively parallel with the keel longitudinally to reduce. dragto a minimum and lallowing a free flow of air' throughthe fair channel to thetailassembly.

A large proportion of the weight 0f the entire ,plane :is' locatedlatf the; lowest, level low point of gravity and the propeller thrust on a line with the supporting wing'lift and the vacuum chamber forces. ;However, the

engine and propeller unit can be mounted on the nose of the plane if des red, and f'more than one engine is used the engines fmay be Y mounted to the right and left to the fvertical center as is done in planes now in common use.

It" will also be observed that by virtue ofthe construction shown and, described, vision for the pilot is amply provic'le'd for by Will? dows constructed of anylsuitable transparent material and located to the right, left, front and above the pilot I i When the plane is moving at slow speedor the'engine isthrottled down there is" a ten- 1 'dency for theair'to flow down into the vacuum chamber'froinabove. V Theprovision ofthe air buffers, howevencauses this air to beldefle'c'ted upwardly and rearwardly, thus preventing it from entering; thefv'acuun more buffers may be used though I prefer to use a plurality'of'them, particularly where chamber to any considerab'leextent; Oneor 05 advantage in having the enginelocated ata V said buffers to'change their positions for the purposes described, ,v

10. In aeroplanes, a fuselagehaving akeel I and enclosing a cabin atthe front part, an

a opentop chamber abovethe cabin, and a nose inffront of said, chamber and said.

fuselage, said nose including a front edge spaced from said-chamber, a top wall eXtend-,

ing from said front edge to the topedge of the-front wall of'saidfchamber, and a bottom wall extending from said'front edge to thegkeel oflsaid fuselage,,thereby leaving spacebetween 7 said front edge and said chambensaidtop and bottom walls of the nose'havlng wlndows 1n line of vision of a 'pilotlocated within the. cabin, movable air jacent the top of said chamber, a w-inchin said cabin, a Cflbl6COl1116Ct1Ilg SfilCl'WlIlCll withsaid-buffers, and pulleys over which said cable passes. V

' 1-1. In aeroplanes, fuselage having a movements of said buffers.

keel and enclosing keel and enclosing a cabin at thefront part, an open top chamber above thecabin, and .a

nose 'in front of" said chamber'and said fuselage, said noseincluding'a front edgesp'aced from said chamber, a top wall extending from said front edger-t0 thetopedge of the V Y front Wall of said chamber, a bottoni wall extending from said front edge to the keel of, said-fuselage, thereby leaving a space be- 7 tween said front edge and said chamber, said top and bottom walls'ofthe nose having windows in line ofvision of a. pilot located within the cabin, movable air buffers within said chamber and meansiin part located in said cabin and in part passing through said nose and in partlocated in said chamberfor moving said buffers to change their positions, said buflers adapted when in one position to close said chamber,. and stopslimiting the 12. In aeroplanes, a fuselage having a a cabinfatthe front part, an open top chamberabove the cabin, and'a nose in front of said chamber and said fuselage, said nose including a front .edge'spaced from said chamber,- a top 'wall extending from said front edge to the top edge of the front wall of said chamber, a 'bottomwal-l,

extending from said front edge to the keelof said fuselage, thereby leaving a space between said front edgeand said chamber,

said top and bottom walls of "the nose having windows 11111118 ofvlsion o'fa p lot located'j' within the cab1n,.,1n ovableair buffers within :saidchamber, and means; in

part 'located'in said. cabinand in ,part passing through said nose and in part located in saidchamber for moving said buffers to change their, positions, said" means comprising hinge axes for the buffers located-ad: jacent the top of said hamber, a winch in said cabin, a cable connecting said win ch with said buffers,. pu1leys over which said cable passes, said buffers adapted when in one position to close said chamber, and'stops,

limiting the movements of said'bulfers' 13; In .an aeroplane wherein is provided an elongated body, stabilizers,- a rfudder, wings, and landing'gear a vacuumchamber above the body and openat: the top, the

walls'of said chamber being soinclined asto, ,7 deflect the air currents over andawayfrom the open top of-said chambrandproduce an ar'eaof negative pressure above said cham her, and an air buffer located within said chamber, said bufier extendin'gfrom' adj acent the topofsaid chamber towardbut terminating short of the bottornof. the same. t

V 14". Inan aeroplane wherein is provided an elongated-body; stabilizers," a, rudder, wings, and landing gear; a vacuuni'chamber above the body and open at the top, the

walls of said'chamber being so inclined as -to deflect the air currentsvoverand aWayfrom the open top of said chamber and preduce an area of negative pressure above said chamber, air bufferstmovably located within said chamber, and 'means in part within said elongatedbody and connected with said buffers for adjusting their positions, said buffers extending from-adjacent the top of said chambertoward butterminating short of the bottomjofthesamet v I V 15, In aeroplanes, a fuselage having a keel and enclosing acabin at the front part, an opentop chamber abovejthe cabin, and-a IOU nose in front ofia chamber and said fuselage, said nose including afront edge spaced from said chamber, a. top wall extending from saidfront edge to the topedge of the front wall of said chamber, a bottom wall extending from sai d ifront edge tothe keel ofsaid fuselage, thereby leaving a space be tween said front edge and saidchamber,

said top and bottom- Walls of the nose hav-.

ing windows in line of vision of a pilotio cated within the cabin, movable air bufiers within said chamber and'means in part located in said. cabin and in part passing through said nose andin partqlocated jinV said chamber for moving said-buffers.- to change their positions, said buffersextend' ing from -adjacentthe top of said'cha'mber of the same; a a

16; In aeroplanes, a fuselagehavin'ga keel and enclosing ar cabin at theQfront part, an open top chamberabove the cabin, 'aiidQa nosein front of; said chamber and saidifuse toward but terminating shortj -offthe bottom lage, said noseincluding afront edgespaced" from said front edgeto the top edge of the front wall of said chamber, a-bottom, wall from said chamber, atop wall extending; '7

' positions, said buffers adapted when in one approximate; alignment' with thehorizontal extending from said front edge to the keel of said fuselage, thereby leaving a space between said front edge and said chamber, said position to close said chamber, and stops limiting the movements of said bufi'ers, said buffers extending fromadjacent the 'top of said chamber toward but terminating short of the bottom of the same.

17. In aeroplanes, a fuselage comprising an enclosed body having stream line long runs at the top, stream line side walls and a being approximately parallel to the long runs:

and the aft part inclining upwardly and rearwardly, said body including a cabin inthe fore part of the fuselage, a motor and propeller mounted inv front of said body in approximate alignment with the horizontal;

plane containing said long runs, wings'extendinglaterally of said long runs, and an fuselage, .said chamber having its "walls formed to produce an area of negative pressure above the chamber, and airbuifers within said chamber. I i I EDWARD H; LANIER."

keel at the bottom, the fore part of said keel i being approximately parallel to the'long runs and the aft part inclining upwardly. and rearwardly, said body includinga cabin in the fore:part{ ofv the fuselage, a motor and propeller mounted in front of saidv body in plane containin 'said long' runs, wings ex-o I and the aftpart'inclinin'g upwardly and tendinglaterally of'saidlong runs, andl an open top'chamber over the fore part of said 1 fuselage.

'18. In aeroplanesfa fuselage comprising an enclosed body having stream line longruns atthe top,.stream line side walls and a f keel at the bottom, the'forepartof said keel being approximately parallel to the long runs rearwardly, said body, including acabin in the .fore part of the fuselage, a motor and.

propeller mounted in "front of said body in approximate alignment with the horizontal plane containing said long runs; wings extending laterally of said long runs, and an open topchamber over the fore'part of said fuselage, said chamber having a forwardly extended ,nose overhanging said motor.

19. In aeroplanes, a fuselage comprisnig an enclosed dy ng streamllinevlong runs at the top, stream line side wallsand a I V keel at the bottom, the fore part of'said keel being approximatelyparallel to the long runs l V g and the aft part inclining upwardly and p rearwardly, said body'including v acabin in, a

the fore part of the fuselage, a motor and propeller mounted in front of said body in v approximate alignmentiwith the horizontal plane containing said long runs, Wings (321- tending laterally of said long runs, and an 1 open top chamberfoverothe iforepart of'said fuselage, said "chamber having" "its; 'Walls formed" to produce an area ofv'negative pres- 7 sure abovethe chamber. 5 a 7 20;In aeroplanes, a fuselage comprising; 1 an enclosed bodyhaving streamline long 1- runs at the top, stream line sidewalls and a I i keel th fore Pd? QfSaid'kefl; 7'

.open top chamberover the fore part of said I 

